St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

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St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Uber luxury-taxi service reveals itself here with Apple flair

Uber, an Internet-friendly luxury-taxi service that has operated in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, London and other major cities for a while, has arrived in the Twin Cities.

Swanky Uber sedans have been criss-crossing the metro area semi-secretly in recent weeks. The service is now prepping for public availability.

To mark that occasion, it is staging a press event with Apple-caliber panache.

Its publicity stunt: Invited journalists have to sign up for an Uber account and then install on their phones or tablets the service’s Apple iOS or Google Android app – which is what Uber customers with credit cards on file use to hail their cabs.

Finally, the journos are to use the app for no-cost pickup by an Uber sedan and transport to the press shindig.